Evaluation of inulin and aloe vera as green corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in 15% HCl

REACH legislation and PARCOM recommendations are driving research in environmental friendly alternatives to the highly toxic compounds currently used as corrosion inhibitors. Here two candidate plant extract green corrosion inhibitors are evaluated by direct comparison with commercially used corrosion inhibitors propargyl alcohol and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole. The two candidate green corrosion inhibitors are: 1. commercially available powdered inulin, extracted from Jerusalem artichoke; 2. aloe vera gel extracted directly from the plants. Immersion tests and weight loss measurements are used to determine the behaviour and inhibition efficiency as a function of concentration and temperatures of 20 ⁰C to 60 ⁰C for mild steel in 15% HCl. Results show that inulin and aloe vera act as corrosion inhibitors over the range of conditions used, the optimal concentration for both was 10%, compared to 0.4% for the commercial corrosion inhibitors. Inhibition efficiencies of up to 86% and 84% were observed for inulin and aloe vera respectively, compared to values of over 95% for the commercial corrosion inhibitors. There is some variation of behaviour for inulin and aloe vera with time and temperature

Optimization of pectinase production by Aspergillus niger using central composite design

Pectinases are a group of enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of pectin. Pectinase producing Aspergillus niger was obtained from a five-day old Eba (Cassava flakes). Response surface methodology was used for optimizing the process of the pectinase produced. Four independent variables which are, temperature, pH, substrate concentration and time of Heating at  70oC were used to optimize the significant correlation between the effects of the variables on pectinase production. A second-order polynomial was fitted to data and validated by ANOVA. The results revealed maximum pectinase production at pH 6.0, 50oC Temperature, 0.02% substrate concentration and the enzyme lost all its activity within 7 min of heating at 70oC. The study revealed that optimization of pectinase through RSM could improve the enzymatic characteristics and yield of the enzyme. The models used were highly significant with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.901Keywords: Pectinase; Aspergillus niger; Response Surface Methodology; Central Composite Desig

Indigenous poultry production among rural households in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

The study examined indigenous poultry production among rural households in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria. The objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of indigenous poultry farmers; determine the benefits of indigenous poultry production; determine the status of indigenous poultry production and identify factors affecting production of indigenous poultry in the study area. Data were collected with structured questionnaire from 108 randomly selected poultry farmers out of which 81 questionnaires were found useful. Data were analyzed with the use of frequency, percentage, mean scores and chi-square tests. Findings show that benefits derived by respondents from indigenous poultry production were: cost intensive (x̄ = 3.81), less cost feed (x̄ = 3.49), hardly sick (x̄ = 3.32), no disease problem (x̄ =141.5), no drugs needed (x̄ =3.37) and no vet needed (x̄ =3.76). The result of chi-square tests showed that, status vs. purpose of keeping poultry (0.66) and status vs. how much made (0.66) were significant at X2cal > X2tab. Factors affecting indigenous poultry production were: stealing (x̄ =3.54), lack of capital (x̄ =3.69), lack of information on price (x̄ =3.24), poor housing system (x̄ =3.51), poor management system (x̄ =3.51), lack of proper marketing structure for local birds (x̄ =3.061), predators (x̄ =3.86), price fluctuation (x̄ =3.45) and poor breeding stock (x̄ =3.37). The study recommends that since it has been confirmed that women dominate the production process, women’s access to production inputs and adequate care facilities should be improved. All forms of barriers against women should be discouraged especially when it comes to the area of production.Keywords: Indigenous Poultry Production, Rural Household

Sero-prevalence of newcastle disease in apparently healthy normal feathered local chickens in Ido and Atiba Local Government Areas, Oyo State, Nigeria

A study was conducted at Ido and Atiba Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo State, Nigeria, to investigate the prevalence of Newcastle disease  (ND) using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) techniques. A total of 376 normal feathered local chickens were sampled by collecting 2 ml of blood from each bird. Sera that emanated from them were subjected to detection of ND antibodies using ELISA test kit. The data collected were analyzed by inferential statistics. The results showed that the prevalence of ND as 11.70% and 15.43% at Ido and Atiba LGAs, respectively. Adult males showed higher prevalence as compared to adult females in the two LGAs. Meanwhile the prevalence of ND in adults was higher than in the young in Ido but the reverse at Atiba LGA. Combined prevalence was averaged at 13.56% in the two LGAs. The combined results further showed that males (8.24%) were more susceptible to ND than females (5.32%) just like adults (7.45%) were more susceptible than the growers (6.11%). It can be concluded that ND is prevalent in the study areas. It can therefore be recommended that vaccination of local chickens should be vigorously  implemented since they are in the common environment/space with intensively managed birds to avert cross infection. Key words: antibodies, ELISA, local chickens, Newcastle disease, prevalenc

Evidence of virological failure in patients on second-line anti-retroviral therapy in Southwestern Nigeria: An indication for HIV drug resistance testing

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa where genotypic anti-retroviral (ARV) drug resistance testing is rarely performed and poor adherence is blamed for the inability to achieve viral suppression and treatment failure, programmatic approaches to preventing and handling these are essential. This study was aimed at assessing the virological outcomes among HIV patients receiving second-line anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Southwestern Nigeria.Methodology: This was a 5-year observational retrospective study of randomly selected people living with HIV (PLWHIV) who have been switched to second-line ART for at least six months before the commencement of the study in multiple comprehensive ART sites across the three levels of care, in Ondo and Ekiti States, Southwestern Nigeria, from January 2015 to December 2019. Quantitative viral load analysis was done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0.Results: A total of 249 (71 males and 178 females) subjects eligible for the study were recruited using simple random sampling technique. The mean age (± SD) of the subjects was 44.21 ± 11.45 years. The mean number of years the patients have been on ART regimen was 7.92 ± 2.68 years. The mean number of years the patients were on first line ART regimen before being switched to second line was 4.27 ± 2.63 years. Patients with viral load <1000 RNA copies/ml (suppressed viral load) were 216 (86.7%) out of which 113 (45.4%) had viral load <20 RNA copies/ml while 33 (13.3%) had viral load >1000 RNA copies/ml (unsuppressed viral load or virological failure).Conclusion: About 13% of the patients on second line ART had unsuppressed viral load of more than 1000 RNA copies/ml indicating virological failure. Thus, critical factors such as poor adherence to ART and drug resistance chiefly contributing to virological failure have to be routinely checked. Keywords: suppression, ART, resistance, virological, failure, Nigeria   French title: Preuve d'échec virologique chez les patients sous traitement antirétroviral de deuxième intention dans le sud-ouest du Nigeria: une indication pour le test de résistance aux médicaments contre le VIH   Contexte: En Afrique subsaharienne, où les tests génotypiques de résistance aux antirétroviraux (ARV) sont rarement effectués et où une mauvaise observance est imputée à l'incapacité d'obtenir la suppression virale et l'échec du traitement, des approches programmatiques pour les prévenir et les gérer sont essentielles. Cette étude visait à évaluer les résultats virologiques chez les patients VIH recevant un traitement antirétroviral (TAR) de deuxième intention dans le sud-ouest du Nigeria. Méthodologie: Il s'agissait d'une étude rétrospective d'observation de 5 ans portant sur des personnes vivant avec le VIH (PVVIH) sélectionnées au hasard et passées à un TAR de deuxième intention pendant au moins six mois avant le début de l'étude dans plusieurs sites de TAR complets aux trois niveaux. de soins, dans les États d'Ondo et d'Ekiti, dans le sud-ouest du Nigéria, de janvier 2015 à décembre 2019. L'analyse quantitative de la charge virale a été effectuée à l'aide d'un test de réaction en chaîne par polymérase (PCR). Les données ont été analysées à l'aide du logiciel Paquet statistique pour les sciences sociales (SPSS) version 24.0. Résultats: Un total de 249 (71 hommes et 178 femmes) sujets éligibles à l'étude ont été recrutés à l'aide d'une technique  d'échantillonnage aléatoire simple. L'âge moyen (± ET) des sujets était de 44,21±11,45 ans. Le nombre moyen d'années pendant lesquelles les patients ont été sous traitement antirétroviral était de 7,92±2,68 ans. Le nombre moyen d'années pendant lesquelles les patients étaient sous traitement antirétroviral de première ligne avant de passer en deuxième ligne était de 4,27 ± 2,63 ans. Les patients avec une charge virale <1000 copies d'ARN/ml (charge virale supprimée) étaient 216 (86,7%) dont 113 (45,4%) avaient une charge virale <20 copies d'ARN/ml tandis que 33 (13,3%) avaient une charge virale >1000 ARN copies/ml (charge virale non supprimée ou échec virologique). Conclusion: Environ 13 % des patients sous TAR de deuxième ligne avaient une charge virale non supprimée de plus de 1000 copies d'ARN/ml indiquant un échec virologique. Ainsi, les facteurs critiques tels qu'une mauvaise adhésion au TARV et la résistance aux médicaments contribuant principalement à l'échec virologique doivent être systématiquement vérifiés. Mots clés: suppression, TAR, résistance, virologique, échec, Nigeria &nbsp

Effect of sowing depth on growth performance of selected members of the family Cucurbitaceae

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the agronomical responses of Citrullus colocynthis, Luffa cylindrica and Citrullus lanatus to varying sowing depths (2, 4, 6 and 8 cm). Agronomic parameters such as number of leaves, fruit weight, leaf area, vine length and width were taken. The Relative Growth Rate (RGR), Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) and Leaf Area Ratio (LAR) for each cucurbit were determined from the data on leaf area and dry weight of seedling. The number of leaves and vines, vine length and width of cucurbits at 2 cm soil depth increased significantly compared with those at 8 cm. However, agronomical responses of the cucurbits at 2 cm soil depth were similar to those at 4 cm. At 2 cm sowing depth, the fruit weight of C. lanatus, L. cylindrica and C. colocynthis increased by 47%, 35% and 20%, respectively compared with those at 8 cm. Also, the RGR, NAR and LAR of C. colocynthis, L. cylindrica and C. lanatus at 2 cm sowing depth increased significantly (p<0.05) compared with those at 8 cm. The findings showed that the vegetative and physiological characteristics of C. colocynthis, L. cylindrica and C. lanatus increased when sown at depths of 2 - 4 cm

An Improved Computational Model for Adaptive Communication Channel Estimation

Channel estimation is an important and necessary function performed by modern wireless receivers. The goal of channel estimation is to measure the effects of the channel on known or partially known transmission. The usual practice in acquiring knowledge about a channel is to model the channel and then acquire the parameters involved in the model. This paper proposes a variable partial update model for adaptive communication channel estimation with a view to improving signal error at the receiver station. The proposed model is composed of finite impulse response transversal adaptive filter and least mean square adaptation algorithm. The performance of the proposed model was compared with the full update model. The evaluation results indicated that the proposed model performed better than the full update model in terms of computational complexity, memory load, and convergence rate

Effeet of Whole Allium cepa Linn. on haematological and biochemical components of Clarias gariepinus Juveniles

Toxicity of onion (Allium cepa) bulb though documented for man and some livestock but few studies in fish. Onion bulb slurry was administered to Clarias gariepinus juveniles at 200,100,25g/kg and 5, 1.5, 0.4g/l through diets and bath. Cellular immune response, humoral changes, liver and kidney function and histopathology of some visceral organs were examined. Proximate composition of the bulb was determined. Onion bulb revealed presence of carbohydrate (7.82%), protein (4.48%), crude fiber (1.68%), iron (0.5mg/l), magnesium (210mg/l), flavonoids (0.46%), saponins (0.28%), tannins (0.95%). PCV, Hb, RBC and WBC were increased in all treatments but values were higher in bath treatment for RBC (3.0×1012/L), PCV (32.7%), Hb (10.7%). MCV, MCH and MCHC showed similar trend. Similar trends as in RBC and WBC were observed in total proteins. Liver and kidney functionality as expressed by ALT, AST, ALP, creatinine and BUN exhibited no damaging effect on organs. Degenerations were observed in the hepatocytes and epithelia cells in the kidney in some treatments especially in bath treatments. In conclusion, onion bulb showed no toxicity in the blood parameters but dose should be considered to avoid harmful effect on liver and kidneys

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries